Comfort Songs from Female Artists:
Heart - Taeyeon
Heart is a phenomenal ballad from Taeyeon. The heartbeat-like guitar pulse is a very clever touch, and immerses you into an emotional state of mind immediately. The lovely but simple arrangement allows for Taeyeon’s signature piercing vocals to absolutely soar. The Korean title “품" means hug/embrace, a very apt title for a song that truly feels like a comforting hug. The lyrics are full of warmth and meaning. Especially the lines “You recognize the scar that I wanted to hide the most, give a kiss on it, gently pacify it and make it heal", highlighting the powerful message that the ultimate act of love is recognizing someone's vulnerability and treating it with tenderness.
LMM - Hwasa
LMM might have more recognition now, since Hwasa performed it at this year's Blue Dragon Awards to pay respect to the passing of actor Lee Sung Kyun. A very touching song, it made for a very touching tribute (so thoughtfully swapped into the performance lineup by Hwasa herself). Her rich and raspy voice is perfectly soft and haunting in the verses, yet emotional and filled with power in the chorus. Hwasa's signature to her solo work is the deep and contemplative nature of her lyrics. LMM (standing for "Lost My Mind") is a perfect example of this. “Flowers bloom even in the falling rain” is a very poignant way of expressing the message of keeping resilience and strength in the face of dark times.
Breathe - Lee Hi
Being one of Jonghyun’s most famous songs that he wrote, Breathe has a certain lingering perception to it. But just as Jonghyun deserves to be fully celebrated for his remarkable artistry, this song deserves full appreciation as the balm of comfort and healing it was written to be. Ultimately, Breathe tells everyone going through burdensome times that you are worthy and have permission to breathe through it all. Lee Hi is the perfect artist to deliver this, as there is a rawness and realness to her vocals, making the impact of this emotional ballad hit that much harder. 정말 수고했어요.
As Time Goes By - Yoon Mirae
Yoon Mirae is a music icon in S. Korea, but very regrettably does not earn much widespread recognition for her contributions to the k-music scene from international fans. (A travesty!) Though she's most celebrated for her rapping, there is a reason why her singing voice remains in high demand for Korean OSTs. There is a rare present quality to her voice that makes you feel that she's in the same room as you, and singing to you directly. This album and track was released all the way back in 2001 so it's a rare chance that newer fans are familiar with it, but it's such a wonderful classic R&B number that instantly soothes the soul.
It Hurts (아파) (Slow) - 2NE1
An R&B-flavored ballad delivered by one of the most iconic Kpop girl groups of all time - It Hurts highlights the advantages of ballads sung by groups vs. solo artists, as every member's unique vocal color shines in the trade-off of lines, perfectly demonstrated by 2NE1 (a group so ahead of their time). It Hurts is possibly one of 2NE1’s most underrated B-side tracks and one of the numbers that best showcases their powerful and beautiful vocals (given their otherwise dance music heavy discography).
Star - Jessi
Star is less of a crooning ballad and more of a mix of ballad singing with the charismatic rap we associate with Jessi. The absolute vulnerability she portrays in the vocals of this song can take you aback, given Jessi's usual outspoken and boisterous image. Yet she showcases her sensitivity so openly through her singing, which is undeniably beautiful and (no pun intended) the star of the song. The powerful rapping and lyrics in true Jessi fashion, holds nothing back while expressing the challenges of her career and life. The mix comes together in a truly underrated track from her that is equal parts strong and touching, and maybe one of her best.
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🎥 and 🌃
(ask game from here; all songs are linked!)
🎥 A song that gives you a really specific mental image
there are quite a few songs that i can do this for, but one that really does it for me is middle of the night by monsta x. i'm a bit of a hopeless romantic if you couldn't tell from the way i write about revalink LMAO, but ideally, i want to fall in love with my best friend and have a big ol' realization about it KJHFKJD and this song gives me very much falling-in-love-with-your-best-friend vibes. i have a very specific mental image of lying on the rooftop of a house in the middle of the night with someone who would be my best friend, stargazing and talking, and at some point, we're laughing our asses off at something funny asf, and then i look over at my best friend and realize in that moment, mid-laugh, that holy shit, i'm in love with you. so . yeah . it hasn't happened to me yet because i have no one i really consider a """best friend""" but we're still optimistic ☝️😃 KDJFHDJKF
🌃 A song for night time
for this one, i'll give you three songs because i have an entire playlist called "late night" full of songs i think have night time vibes LMAO
helium by glass animals: i really like how this song sounds and it's made a comeback on my playlist for this month. it has a very dreamy, surreal quality to the sound of it and the lyrics are so poetic n wistful. i posted about this song in relation to revalink before somewhere but the lyrics "ooh and I'm falling now but it's so wrong/you talk like a man and taste like the sun" and "i guess i want you more than i thought I did/now that i know that part of you's not part of this"... it gets me every time.
fairy of shampoo by dosii: this one is actually a cover/remake of a korean song from the 90s of the same name by an artist called 'light and salt'. i think quite a few kpop idols such as txt and mamamoo's hwasa have done covers of this song; it's very iconic. iirc, the song was based off of this korean poem critiquing capitalism through this story of a guy who fell in love with a model for a shampoo commercial, so he kept buying that brand of shampoo to keep "seeing" her? don't quote me on that, but it's kinda goofy 🤣 anyways i like this version of the song n i think it has very much night time vibes
binibini by zack tabudlo: obligatory filipino artist promotion 🇵🇭 y'all might know this guy from his song 'habang buhay' which was also a banger, but he has a bunch of really good songs :) this one is so soft and chill, it has that same dreamy quality that 'helium' does, but instead of being wistful, the lyrics are kinda really cute and romantic <3 i kinda wanna write revalink for this song now mmmmm
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